1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to temperature control in enclosed areas. More specifically, the invention relates to automatic temperature control for buildings, wherein control means energizes heating or cooling means, as appropriate, to maintain a preset temperature.
2. Prior Art
Control of the temperature level in enclosed areas, such as residential and commercial buildings, is important not only for comfort of the inhabitants, but also for health and efficiency. Moreover, if the temperature level is going to be controlled to comfortable levels, energy considerations become important and means should be provided to maintain comfortable temperature levels with the minimum expenditure of energy.
With the advent of central heating and cooling systems for the enclosed areas of buildings, automatic controls were designed to maintain heating or cooling levels at or in a selected range. Most commercially available thermostatic controls incorporate a manually operated switch which enables the occupant to select either a "heat", "cool" or "off" mode of operation. Thus, if a "heat" mode is selected, the system will be energized only if the control thermostat calls for heat. Similarly, if the system has been set for cooling, the thermostat will energize the system only if the temperature rises above the preset level.
Examples of some prior art devices and systems are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,083,397; 4,078,601; 4,150,718; 4,333,316; 4,205,381; 3,942,718; 2,213,082; and 2,022,523. These patents disclose various thermostatic controls for automatic temperature control, but generally are set or switched to control only heat or only cool. None of the patents disclose any means for predicting or anticipating when a "heat" or a "cool" mode might be required and then switching the thermostatic control means to the appropriate "readiness" condition so that the system will automatically provide either heating or cooling, depending upon the preset temperature and the anticipated mode.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,183,397 discloses an automotive control system for either heating or cooling, depending upon a selected temperature on the control thermostat. However, this patent fails to disclose any means for maintaining a preset temperature in a building, and particularly with anticipation of whether a heating or cooling mode will be required.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,061,185 discloses the use of a heat sink for supplemental heating, but does not suggest any automatic control system with a heat sink used in anticipating whether a heat or cool mode will be required in a heating and cooling system.
As demonstrated by the above-listed patents, thermostatically controlled temperatures are not new. Enthalpy, or its use thereof is also not new. Moreover, heat anticipation is used in most thermostat controls, but cool anticipation is not used. Commercially available thermostats, including those of some of the listed patents, must be manually set for either "heat" or "cool". None of the prior art known to applicant teaches a system which uses means (heat sink) to anticipate whether a "heating" or "cooling" mode will be required and to provide an appropriate signal to a preset thermostat control which automatically energizes either a heating or a cooling device when a preset temperature is reached in the space being conditioned.
Current atmospheric temperature variations have dramatically increased due to upperatmosphere phenomena heretofor not experienced. Accordingly, heating and/or cooling might be required on any given day or series of days in order to maintain a predetermined temperature level in a building. Thus, while the outside (and inside) temperature might be cool in the morning, compelling the occupant of a building to select the "heat" mode on the central thermostat in order to achieve a comfortable temperature in the building, by afternoon the outside and inside temperatures might be uncomfortably warm, necessitating that the occupant switch the thermostat to select a cooling mode. This necessitates not only that the occupant be present in order to switch the thermostat, but also that more energy be expended in order to bring the inside temperature back to a comfortable level.
Listening to weather reports and observing outside temperatures becomes tedious in the effort to determine if a heating or a cooling requirement should be anticipated. As noted above, energy efficiency degradation will result if the selected mode does not conform to the actual requirement in any 24 hour period.